Hayley

10/23/2024

I knew when I became pregnant that I needed a doula, someone knowledgable, compassionate, a good listener and guide. Noliko was all of those things for us. She boosted my confidence about my ability to birth and walked us through every step of the process. She was my cheerleader throughout my pregnancy and delivery. She lent us her birthing ball to use throughout my pregnancy which was something I used daily! On the few nights she was away during the end of my pregnancy she made sure we had other capable doulas on call just in case. At 41 weeks and 5 days, I went into the hospital for an induction and Noliko was there whenever we needed her. The induction took a very long time and she would stand for hours giving me massages while I ached in bed. She gave my husband breaks to grab food and coffee, knowing I was in good hands with her by my side. Her presence was such a comfort to us throughout the long drawn out delivery process.  I had hoped for a vaginal delivery and when that wasn't possible after 48+ hours of labor she was there to comfort me and my husband before going into surgery for the c-section, something we both had a lot of fear and anxiety about. Although she wasnt allowed to be in the operating room for the c-section, she stayed with us up unitl we went in and when our healthy baby boy was born, she checked in with us afterwards. I would reccomend Noliko to anyone who is looking for a calm caring doula. I can't even imagine the added stress we would have had without her. Thank you Noliko! 

Haruka Yokoyama

3/19/2024

Noriko san is the best doula. I can't even imagine my pregnancy and delivery without her. I was very nervous and scared of everything about my first delivery, but she made me feel comfortable and relaxed. Because of her, I overcame the hardest day in my life. I and my husband can't thank you enough for her. 

Kerry

5/9/2023

Noliko is a kind, considerate, compassionate presence and valued member of our birth team. She met with my family several times in advance of the birth to establish expectations, but more importantly, relationship and trust with us. Our birth plan changed last minute; Noliko eased tensions by sharing personal experiences and encouragement. During the birth, her intuative care made all the differnce. She was hands on with body work, caring for me as the mother, and ensuring my husband had adequate rest. She prompted us with timely questions for the medical staff/midwife and supported each decision. After the birth, she cared for our new family unit with love and I learned "tricks of the trade" while watching her care for our newborn. I highly recommend Noliko!

Catherine Szeto

3/12/2023

Noliko was so valuable to me for my birth planning, labor and delivery experience, and my husband and I are incredibly thankful for her help. She is a calm, patient person who is clearly experienced, but made me feel very comfortable about making my own informed decisions after explaining the pros and cons of different options. Before I had my baby, Noliko explained to me what to expect and options that I had, as well as labor relief techniques, many of which I never knew about. She also arranged a backup doula in case Noliko had an emergency, which made me feel comfortable. I personally wanted a more "go-with-the-flow" birth plan, which Noliko completely supported. Some doulas have a whole template to fill out for a birth plan and I'm glad Noliko did not require this because it would just feel like homework!

As for the birth process itself, Noliko was very committed to being there whenever I needed I her. She was happy to be there for any part, even though there was not much she needed to do at the beginning of my induction. In the middle of the night when my contractions became strong, she came right back to the hospital when my husband called her and helped me go through labor with her massage techniques, which were a big help. She massaged me so much when I was going through labor, I'm not sure how she found the stamina! During the long pushing phase, she and my husband physically helped move my legs whenever I pushed, as I had an epidural. She must have been so tired but she kept encouraging me the entire time. 

After the birth, she stayed around to make sure my husband and I were settled and comfortable before leaving after a very long day. 

Noliko was a big reason why I had a positive birth experience. I highly recommend her to anyone.

Mido

1/6/2023

I had Noriko as my birth doula. Looking back on that time, she really helped me a lot to have a very smooth birth thanks to her support during the delivery.

Noriko is very polite, calm, and has a wonderful smile.

The massage I received during my pregnancy was very relaxing.

On the day of the birth, she came to my place as soon as I called her and gave me a massage to stimulate my labor. At the midwifery center, she brought me water before I asked for it, and every time I went into labor, she massaged me in time with my breathing to ease the pain of my contractions. This allowed me to have a relaxed delivery without suffering too much pain, which was my ideal birth experience.

As part of my birth plan, I asked my husband to make a video of me during the birth. When the baby's head was about to come out, Noriko took over, and I was able to hold my husband’s hand and deliver the baby with him. Noriko is really wonderful with these little touches.

I am Japanese and did not understand difficult English, so she also helped me as an interpreter during the birth.

It was a great relief to be able to speak in my native language.

Her knowledge is solid and wonderful. The calm atmosphere she exudes is very soothing.

I highly recommend her as a birth doula.

Reina

11/9/2022

I do not think I can get through my labour and postpartum newborn term without her help. I have Noliko as both of Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula, and she helped my family in all process a lot. Since this is my first baby, I had zero knowledge and I did not know where I should start to learn. Also I had to work 10 days before my due date, so I did not have time to prepare for delivery and postpartum life with baby. She literally guided us from nothing to confident ourselves enough for delivery, by giving us all information and education step by step. Also she has all connection with other specialists and other maternal community, which is perfect for extra reserch and Q&A. 

On the delivery day, even though it was much earlier my due date, she came to hospital midnight and helped my labour with pusing my pervic born, massaging, using aromatic pain relieve, and explaining some medical term when I need to understand. When we discharged from hospital 48 hrs, she came to our home with delicious Japanese home-cooked lunch and dinner. During postpartum, she helps nighttime brestfeeding and taking care of my baby with some house hold chores. 

Things I was gratefull for her most is she act proactively. Through whole process, she always try to give her hand before I ask, which is very helpfull for making all process smoothly. 

I definitely recommend Noliko for both birth and postpartum doula, but especially for birth doula to reduce your anxiety. Also you will be relieved yourself from a burden to educate your husband!

Fatemeh, Peiman, Nick

3/23/2022

As a first time mom who hasn’t been around babies (read it avoiding babies!), I knew nothing about an infant. No matter how many videos I watched or how many articles I read, still I knew nothing! So we decided to have a postpartum doula for the first week, and what a great decision we made!

Noriko helped us as a night doula for a week and helped us to learn how to treat the baby. While she was taking care of our son during the nights, my husband and I got the chance to catch up some sleep from the exhausting hospital stay.

Noriko took care of diapering and soothing the baby and only woke me up for breastfeeding. She helped me positioning the baby properly which was a challenge with a nipple shield. Whenever I had a question, she explained the possible answers to me. Most importantly, she tried to give me confidence in parenting by helping me to rely on my instincts.

She was always on time even during rainy nights. She didn’t rush to leave at the end of her schedule and made sure things are settled before leaving our place. Although she is vaccinated, She wore mask the entire time without being asked, even when she was alone with our son at his room. She is a very calm and gentle person and we felt lucky having her. I wish I could afford to have her by my side for a longer time :)

I highly recommend her to anyone who is seeking postpartum help. Thanks Noriko for taking such a good care of our son, and us!!!

Liz

10/4/2021

Noliko had an amazing and calm spirit. Her mood made the environment more calm the instant she walked into the house. She was receptive to all my needs and my baby's needs. I will always remember her with love. 

Sarath

9/15/2021

We feel so blessed to have had Noliko as our post partum doula. As first time parents, we had lot of apprehensions about how to handle the baby, proper breastfeeding and so many other questions - all of which Noliko patiently helped us with. She handled our baby so gracefully and calmly - baby and parents were always relaxed and happy when Noliko was home! She helped us through probably the most intense and challenging period immediately post partum and for that we'll remain ever grateful to her. Highly recommend her services if you want someone who is calm, graceful and brings so many positive vibes to the family. Thank you Noliko!

miki

6/21/2021

I'm so grateful to have Noliko as a doula. She is experienced and warm person.

During my pregnancy she offered prenatal massage which was so relaxing. She also teached me some exercises to help my breech baby turn.(they worked!!)

After delivery she supported me for 6 weeks. She made delicious meals, washed dishes and bottles, cleaned the house, fed and rocked my baby. I could even take a nap while she took care of my baby. When my breasts became red and hurt like mustitis I asked her to do a  massage, it helped me a lot. I had also breastfeeding problem and she helped my baby to latch properly.

Noliko is amazing and I highly recommend her for a postpartum doula. 

My

4/8/2021

Noliko is an incredible postpartum doula. As a first time mom, I really needed the extra hand around the house and with the baby. Noliko was great in helping me keep the house in order by washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming, and cooking. She was also wonderful in helping me with the baby - feeding, bathing, rocking to sleep, changing diapers, etc. Having Noliko around allowed me to do other things, like catch up on much needed sleep or to even just take a shower. I was very thankful to have someone as kind and amazing as Noliko to help me during my first few weeks postpartum. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for a doula! 

Tooba

3/12/2021

Noliko has a magical touch! Not only for a relaxing body massage to destress and reduce anxiety but she also had that effect on my 3 month old daughter, calming her down and keeping her happy. She knew exactly what to do for her fussiness and infant naps. Noliko was so caring, proactive and wonderful to have around as I recovered post-partum.

Mio

2/2/2020

Having Noliko as a birth doula was one of the best decision we made in preparing us for the labor and delivery.

She provided both an emotional and physical (prenatal massage and counter-pressuring my hip during contractions) support, which was really helpful for our family especially because this was my firth baby and I wanted support in my mother tongue, Japanese. Noliko also made it possible for my husband, in-law and me to fully experience the labor and delivery process by providing us warm guidance on how my husband can take a role and support me.

Pregnancy and delivery, for a woman, is a sequence of important decision makings for oneself, her baby and family, and requires a good amount of leadership and decisiveness, and an attitude to embrace uncertainty and letting go. As unexpected things happen during my pregnancy and labor, I always felt strong with Noliko, a caring advocate for a mother.

I hope everyone who wish can have a doula to support their birthing experience, and highly recommend Noliko to be one of your birth team. 

Aska

1/5/2020

We were so happy and fortunate to have Noriko as our doula. My husband and I are both from overseas(Czech Republic and Japan) and first time parents, we definitely needed a third person’s support.

When I was interviewing doulas in the city, I had several expectations for my doula. First, I wanted to have a calm and grounded person as I knew the labor would overwhelm us. And Noriko was just perfect! Second, I wanted to have more than a babysitter kind of service. I preferred a person who has great experience and knowledge in newborn care. Noriko didn’t just fulfill my requirements, she went way beyond. She gave me a lot of chances to rest, and when it was cold, she kindly massaged my lower back (she has a massage license!). She prepared for us healthy and delicious food, cleaned the house, and was very gentle with our newborn baby. If it was not for her, I wouldn't have recovered so fast. I had no postpartum depression thanks to her amazing help.

If I can add one thing, doula services in Boston are not cheap. We hired Noriko for 4 weeks (2-3 times a week), and after that we were not able to afford her. If she had some kind of discount after one month, baby and I would have loved to hire her help until my 6 weeks check up with a midwife. Noriko is truly professional and we cannot thank her more! We have no regrets of hiring her as our doula. We are very grateful.

Cathy Kim

11/17/2019

I hired her for the first month: 3 times a week, mostly 4 hours. Another month for 1 time a week, mostly 3 hours including 1 hr massage with extra charge.

What she did:
1. cooking meals
2. my body massage ( 10 - 15 mins)
3. taking care of the baby (including bathing a baby)
4. helping with breastfeeding ( correcting position, breast mini massage, advice)
5. cleaning kitchen, home sometimes ( I asked her to do it least, I wanted her to spend time more for me & cooking)

What I liked:
1. Her food was very healthy & tasty: a variety of vegetables, soup, meats.
2. She always keeps the kitchen VERY clean: She cleaned gas stove, kitchen floor, sink, garbage etc!
3. She didn't waste any of my food ingredients, seasoning, etc. nicely frugal! 
4. She worked so hard while she stays at my place. My husband didn't like the idea of having a postpartum doula at the beginning, but he changed his mind after seeing her hard working. She works so hard!
5. Since she is an experienced lactation consultant, she helped me to smooth good breastfeeding. 
6. She is a certified massage therapist, so I was able to get a professional massage from her with extra charge.
7. She is very functional, reliable! She is mostly on time. if she is a little bit late, she always lets me know it. 
8. She is flexible. if your schedule is changed, you always can contact with her and change a date or time. ( must be in advance)

What she can improve:
1. I'm not Japanese. It's related to Japanese culture. She sometimes doesn't share her opinion clearly, always to take a neutral opinion/attitude.
2. I got her professional massage several times for my postpartum. if she is too tired, the massage is not good as much as before. 

Conclusion:
I will give her 9/10 points! AND I highly recommend her, and I will have her for my second baby as well

Fan F

11/13/2019

Noliko helped me with my five week old baby when daddy was away for work for nearly one week. I felt so lost doing this alone as a first time mom and was so thankful that Noliko came to my aid. On hindsight, I realized that some of things were not within her usual realm. Regardless she simply rendered her help and support as she realized that I was in such dire need.  I deeply appreciate her work ethics and the profound compassion that comes with it. I also came to admire Noliko as a human being, and her amazing capabilities.

The scheduling with Noliko was very easy. Good communications. We talked about the availabilities, the scope of work, and things I wanted to achieve with the baby, ie to eat more efficiently on the breast and to be easily soothes into sleep.

Noliko was punctual, highly responsible, accountable and dedicated to the work she does. To the baby, She is gentle, patient yet firm and persistent. She worked tirelessly with my fussy little one so both mom and baby can rest. I later used some of her techniques and they worked - although of course not as smoothly as Noliko. To me, Noliko was simply an angel. She was attentive and was never dismissive to my questions however silly they were. As a woman, I was simply empowered by her and how strong of a character she is. 

I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for postpartum doula support. Noliko Chan, I cannot thank you enough! I have not tried the massage yet.efinitely interested. 

Eri Oga

11/22/2018

She is an excellent and thoughtful doula. My baby and I were satisfied with her service. She has great massage skills. Indeed, her breat massage skill saved me so many times. I used to enjoy her nourishing meals every time. And she encouraged me like a real family.

You will enjoy one of the most precious moments in your life with your baby by her supports.

Mizuno Kyoko

10/21/2018

I asked her service when our second baby was born. Our families are apart, we really needed somebody’s help. Mostly I asked to make some meals and cleaning the house. She cooked three dishes or more for two hours. Her foods were very delicious, we enjoyed all of them. She excels at multitasking. After giving a birth, I couldn’t go out, so it was very nice to have somebody like her, we could chat, that helped me a lot. She is very kind, polite and punctual. Our daughters like her very much. We were really satisfied with her service and I was happy to find someone like her.

Yasue Cote

10/19/2018

Noliko is a great doula. She has a lot of experience and knowledge. She massaged my body and was so relaxed, It reduced my stress too. I would like to say that just she is not only professional, but is very kind and friendly. She was also as a doula in the early morning at the hospital. She helped me to be relaxed when I was nervous after deliverling my baby. She is a best doula!!

even the

Saki Shinoda

10/7/2018

I had asked Noliko to help me with my newborn daughter last year right after she was born and it was the best decision for myself and my daughter that I had ever made. She came in and help me in any way that I needed such as watching my daughter so that I could get some rest or helping me put my daughter to sleep when I was having difficulty with having her sleep by herself. During a time when everything was new to me and I didn't know how to do so many things, it was such a relief to be able to have someone like Noliko to lean on and ask the many many questions that come up from taking care of a newborn for the first time. Being a single mother, I struggled a lot with feeling like I was alone and that I could never get any time to myself but just knowing that Noliko was just a phone call away, it helped me both physically and mentally heal from giving birth and deal with the struggles of motherhood. Noliko has such a calm and non judgemental demeanor that always left me feeling at ease and open to confiding in her about anything I had questions about. I never felt judged for not being able to do something and when I would ask her something, she would always reply in a caring way that always made me feel that my feelings were vaild and important. She knew how to always reply by never dismissing my concerns but always putting them in a positive light. I am forever grateful for all that she has done for me and my daughter, and know that she has done the same for so many new mothers.

Kazu W

10/5/2018

I’m extremely happy with Noliko’s professionalism and quality of service. She helped me in such a way that I didn’t have to communicate everything - because of her experience of raising her own kids she is fully aware of what a mom needs under various daily situations. My baby was in a good mood when Noliko was looking after him. She is easy to talk to, hard working, flexible and reliable. I strongly recommend her.

hirabayashi akeha

9/28/2018

I am so glad that I had Noliko come to help me out after having my second son. Not to mention all the assistance she provided such as cleaning, cooking and keeping my older son entertained, the biggest help for me was the fact that I had someone to talk to about my concerns and stress being a postpartum mom. I highly recommend her as your doula.